Goody two Shoes

Three is very much a crowd for riveting English duo Blood Red Shoes. A big-riffing female guitarist (Laura-Mary Carter) and a hard-hitting male drummer (Steven Ansell) who share vocals, they insist on doing everything on stage, and most things in the studio, themselves.

''I think that's how we've evolved,'' Carter says, fresh off stage after a gig in Germany.

''We've kind of worked out a way of writing songs with melodies and stuff that kind of filled [the sound] out, even though it's only two instruments.

''We've made three records and the actual chemistry between us is what, I think, people like about the band. The way that we write songs would be totally different if there was someone else involved.''

Have they felt restricted? Especially live, given their most recent album, In Time to Voices, is more atmospheric, layered and textured than its predecessors?

''No, never,'' she says. ''There are little bits … that aren't there [in the live arrangements] but it hasn't really been a big problem. We've just worked ways around it through pedals and our singing.''

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Carter and Ansell met in 2004 as musos in other groups who crossed paths on England's punk-rock scene. ''We didn't even really decide to be a band,'' Carter says. ''That's why we didn't have anyone else involved - it was just, like, for our own pleasure. Then we were asked to play a show … and it kind of went from there.''

Blood Red Shoes' musical evolution from raw indie types to classy alt-rockers has appeared effortless but the pair's relationship hasn't always been easy. Carter admits there has been tension to overcome for a two-piece who have spent much of their existence in the close-knit circumstances of life on the road.

''We don't have normal lives to everyone else and it is a really weird thing when you're that close to someone. I think we do really well with the amount of time we spend with each other but it can get very emotional - really extreme feelings.''

One presumes it can be almost as difficult when they're apart. ''Yeah. You're so used to being with each other that it's almost like you've lost a limb.

''We live in different cities, as well, so when we go home [after a tour], we spend a few days away and then we'll call each other up and be, like [sheepishly], 'Do you want to hang out?'''

Despite the near-constant touring and testing personal dynamics, Blood Red Shoes have managed to stay productive, especially compared with other acts. They have an EP, Water, out in January to follow their three albums in five years.

''When I think back to when we started, there are some bands that are still on their second record and we're already thinking about the fourth one,'' Carter says.

The three tunes of the Water EP suggest their next full-length offering will be as invigorating as ever; they even hark back to the simpler, brutal pleasures of 2008 debut Box of Secrets.

''There's something about the rawness that maybe we kind of want to relive a little bit but … we're always looking forward.''

Blood Red Shoes play at the

Hi-Fi in Moore Park on January 4. They also star at the Peats Ridge Sustainable Arts and Music Festival in Glenworth Valley from December 29 to January 1.